ND Unit A - Element A7: Human Factors Flashcards
- Define the terms ‘psychology’ and ‘sociology’.
The term psychology refers to the study of the human mind, personality and functions. Sociology refers to the study of the development of human society throughout history. A study of the history and nature of human society.
- Psychology - a study of the human personality.
* Sociology - a study of the history and nature of human society.
Draw a diagram to explain Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs. The triangle
Self realisation - suceeding in your goals, manager etc
esteem - feel you have achieve something
Social - there is community element, family
Safety or security - job offers security i.e. PAYE
Biological - good facilities, clean
According to Rasmussen’s model, what are the
three levels of behaviour?
The three levels of behaviour in Rasmussen’s model are:
• Skill-based - the person carries out the operation in automatic mode. Errors occur if there are problems, such as machine variation or environmental changes.
• Rule-based - the operator is multi-skilled and has a
wide selection of well-tried routines that can be used.
Errors occur if the wrong alternative is selected or if there is some error in remembering or performing a routine.
• Knowledge-based - a person copes with an unknown
situation where there are no tried rules or routines. Trial and error is the only method.
- Outline, with examples, how the human sensory receptors react to danger.
Human sensory receptors react to danger in the following
ways:
• Sight - observation of a warning sign.
• Hearing - sound of an audible alarm.
• Taste - recognition of a toxic substance in food.
• Smell - identification of a hazardous gas release.
• Touch - identification of a hot surface.
- Explain how failings in the human sensory and perceptual process may lead to accidents.
Perceptual set: sometimes called a ‘mindset’. We have a problem and immediately we perceive not only the problem, but the answer. We then set about solving the problem as we have perceived it. Further evidence may
become available, which shows that our original perception was faulty, but we fail to see alternative causes and solutions. This is a basic cause or factor in many accidents and disasters.
Perceptual distortion: the perception of a hazard may be faulty because it gets distorted. Things that are to our advantage always tend to seem more right than those that are to our disadvantage. Management generally tend to have a different perception of hazard from that of workers, and when it affects work rates, physical effort or bonus payments, the worker also suffers from perceptual distortion.
- How did human error contribute to the
following disasters?
(a) Flixborough.
(b) Piper Alpha.
(a) The key factors leading to the Flixborough disaster included:
– Lack of a proper design study for the modification with no reference to appropriate standards or safety
testing.
– Lack of competency in the management team to recognise the potential for failure.
– Undetected stress corrosion on the failed reactor and embrittlement in stainless steel pipework.
(b) The key factors leading to the Piper Alpha disaster included: – Failure in the permit-to-work system.
– Design failure in that the rig containment wall was fire-resistant but not blast-resistant. – Other rigs did not shut down and continued to feed into Piper Alpha, fuelling the fire. – Inadequate emergency procedure for rig evacuation.
- Identify four different methods by which employees can be motivated.
Ways that employees could be motivated:
• Workplace incentive schemes: encourage employees to work harder in order to receive a payment or benefit.
• Reward schemes: offer a reward for improvement or reaching a target in a particular area.
• Job satisfaction: some people only require job satisfaction to be motivated. Job satisfaction is very individual to each person.
• Appraisal schemes: a formal means of placing value on achievement or effort. It is generally carried out on an annual basis and the results may be used to determine the level of a pay rise or a promotion.
- Outline the differences between formal and
informal groups within an organisation.
Formal groups are established to achieve set goals, aims
and objectives. They have clearly defined rules, structures and channels of communication.
Informal groups superimpose on the organisation
an informal structure of communication links and
functional working groups. These cross all the barriers of management status and can be based on family relationships, out-of-work activities, experience or expertise.
- Explain how peer group pressure can influence
behaviour at work.
Peer group pressure can influence behaviour at work in the following ways:
• Group formation - people tend to join groups with
those of a similar outlook. A lot of work situations
involve group work or committees and discussion groups.
• Group reaction - the group tends to create its own rules and arrangements, particularly in large groups, which may be dominated by a few members. In smaller groups, people tend to be more able to have an input into the group’s actions.
• Group development - groups develop ‘pecking orders’ in terms of the amount of speech and influence permitted. Dominant individuals struggle for status and an order develops.
• Group control - the group will establish standards of acceptable behaviour or group ‘norms’, detect deviations from this standard and have the power to demand conformity.
- What effects might shift work have on an individual’s performance?
Shift work can be very demanding on an individual and can affect their performance in the following ways:
• Fatigue and stress - poorer performance on tasks requiring attention, decision-making or high levels of skill.
• Sleep loss and sleep debt - lower levels of alertness, and reduced levels of productivity and attention.
• Health problems - asthma, allergic reactions and respiratory problems tend to be worse at night, and so it is likely that performance will be affected where an individual’s health is affected.
• Social life/family life - work performance may be affected if the individual is unhappy at home due to the constraints of shift work.
• Natural circadian rhythm - when working nights, the
body still reduces body temperature in the early hours of the morning, reduces blood pressure and stops digestion, which can lead to an individual feeling sleepy and less alert.
- How might the system of payment or terms
of employment at work affect an individual’s performance?
There are various methods of payment for work and terms of employment, and these may all affect performance in different ways:
• Piecemeal workers - need to work quickly because they are paid by the amount of work they do; speed is important, but safety is also an issue, because if they injure themselves they won’t be able to work and will not get paid.
• Permanent contract employees - get paid whether they are at work or sick (in general), so safety or performance may not be an incentive for them. There may, however, be incentive schemes in place which reward good performance, safe working and/or
good attendance, and these may affect an individual’s performance.
• Short-term contract workers - generally need to
perform well in order for their contract to be renewed (unless there is a shortage of workers). This means that there is pressure on the individual to perform to their best ability.
- Explain the term ‘ergonomics’ and discuss how
the poor application of ergonomics might lead to injury and occupational ill health.
Ergonomics is the study of the relationship between workers and their environment, ensuring a good ‘fit’ between people and the things they use. Essentially, it involves “fitting the task to the man” rather than “fitting the man to the task”. The order of operations and work practices can be modified so that each person is working to full efficiency. Poorly designed work equipment and unsafe practices may result in injury and occupational ill health. These may include:
• Equipment not suited to body size.
• Operator not able to readily see and hear all that they
need to.
• Lack of understanding of the information that is presented to the employee.
• Equipment or system causing discomfort if used for any length of time.
- What features are present in an ergonomically-designed crane cab control system?
The following features are present in an ergonomically-designed crane cab control system:
• The controls are within easy reach of the driver and are
moved in a straight line to allow ease and delicacy of
control.
• The seat is adjustable so that the driver has a good view of the operations.
• The environment of the cab protects the driver from
dust and fumes, etc.
- Outline the steps of a behavioural change programme.
The steps of a behavioural change programme relating to
safety are:
Step 1: Identify the specific observable behaviour that needs changing, e.g. to increase the wearing of hearing protectors in a high-noise environment.
Step 2: Measure the level of the desired behaviour by
observation.
Step 3: Identify the cues (or triggers) that cause the
behaviour and the consequences (or pay offs) (good and bad) that may result from the behaviour.
Step 4: Train workers to observe and record the safety
critical behaviour.
Step 5: Praise/reward safe behaviour and challenge unsafe
behaviour.
Step 6: Feedback safe/unsafe behaviour levels regularly to
workforce.
